Necessary
by AwakeningEden
Summary: He wasn't sure when. He couldn't recall where. But it all remained the same. [KibaIno]
1. Necessary

Because, why not? :)

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Kiba didn't remember how it began.

It could have been the curve of her smile, soft pink lips ghosting against fair skin. It might have been her laugh, ringing clear and pretty like wedding bells on a summer's day. Or it was possibly the way her hands delicately met her hips when she was listening in on a conversation, be it about gossip or a mission briefing.

He wasn't sure when. He couldn't recall where. But it all remained the same.

Every smile, every laugh, every sway that caught his attention sent his skin bristling, a quiet yearning that wound tight around his fingers. A snarl would occasionally escape him, the unbearable ache crawling up his back and twisting at his nerves. The temptation to run away to his team's training grounds and howl into the sky, until every unquenchable throbbing in his chest vanished intensified after every occurrence.

His teammates would seldom send him curious glances at his behavior, but both seemed to deduce amongst themselves that Kiba didn't like her for whatever reason. And who could really blame them? To the untrained eye (and perhaps even to the most perceptive), Kiba's tense posture, curled fists and narrow eyes all pointed to a slow simmering loathing concealed just below the surface.

Maybe the only one who ever noticed was the one she was born to belong to.

It was just his luck, really. To fall for women who were already hopeless loss causes to another. He had already been so late with Hinata. By the time he noticed her beauty, her soft spoken charm and gentle, fragile elegance, she had poured all her heart and soul in someone so painstakingly similar (so painstakingly _different_) to himself. It had taken some time for him to adjust to the idea that Hinata would never turn her head his way, for one reason or another. Either she would end up with her childhood fantasy or she would set her sights on someone of stark contrast; someone who would never remind her of what she could have had if pink hair and green eyes hadn't blurred his vision.

Besides, he noticed the way Neji smiled at her when she told him a terrible joke. Or how Shino pressed his hand against her shoulder when comforting her after another fight with her father. The heart of the heiress was sought by many and Kiba, for all his boasts and charm, knew he was no match for such stubborn men.

As his crush on Hinata waned, he set his sights on the kunoichi from Team Gai. Opposite to his teammate in every sense of the word, she had a reserved ferocity coupled with a jovial mischief. They had first talked on the outskirts of the open markets. Her brown eyes had sparkled despite the gray clouds and threat of rain and he couldn't help but wonder what she looked like with her hair down and her lithe form swept up in the folds of a green dress.

He should have caught on the moment he thought of the color. It seemed to be the only one she could see.

Rock Lee was not the obvious choice, but he was most certainly the right choice. His teammates and the rest of the rookie gang figured Tenten, if she would end up with a teammate, it would be Neji. That goes to show how shallow even the most thoughtful could be at times. Just because two of their three classmates were preoccupied with the broody, dark-haired avenger didn't mean the girl who smiled brightly when holding up a new set of kunai was just the same. She too was a person fostered by hard work, instilled with an intense determination only unnoticed due to the flamboyant antics of her chosen.

It had been obvious, really. Their nonsensical bickering, his reckless encouragement, her unguarded blushes…perhaps it wasn't obvious to anyone else or even to the two involved. However, Kiba was all too familiar with the quick, miserable pang lodged into the pit of his stomach when encountering the object of his infatuation with the one they irrevocably loved. And as much as it pained him to turn his head a second time, he knew it was for the best. Heartbreak would catch up to him sooner or later, no matter how long his flame held out for.

He tried to swear off women after that. Flirting with the local village girls on a mission was still on his agenda (_always_ on his agenda), but nothing could be too serious. Suffering through two unrequited crushes helped him realize it was too early to get so attached. He was young and wild, free and untamed! So what if his friends had already found their soulmates? There would be plenty of time for him.

…

It happened all too soon.

Maybe three months had passed. Or perhaps just two. He still misplaced the when and the where and the what. Yet, despite his blotchy memory, it still happened.

His heart called out for Ino Yamanaka. Morseo than Hinata or Tenten or any other pretty little thing he goggled at.

And she was the most hopeless case of all.

Kiba knew. Sakura knew. Hell, maybe Naruto knew. It mattered little that Ino had fallen for the bastard early on in life or her chosen's eyes drifted towards the deserts of Suna on occasion.

If there was any such thing as a love bound by fate, Ino and Shikamaru embodied it, body and soul.

Both didn't seem keenly aware of this, but such was the typical predicament when it came to the parties involved. They would discover it eventually, whether it be at a small birthday gathering in September or on cold terrains miles away from their home. One glance and that would be it. Fate would intervene and they would be swept up in its tide, no matter how desperately they tried to hold onto to the hands of another.

And no matter who tried to dive in and swim out after them.

As soon as he realized his feelings, Kiba did everything in his power to whisk them away. He went out on several dates with young ladies he had met around the marketplace, hoping they would arouse a similar reaction as Hinata or Tenten had. Warmth bubbling across his stomach, a drowsy lightheadedness whispering against his neck. Anything to dismiss the churns and whirls and tickles that sparked whenever Ino fell into his presence.

Nothing worked. All the dating and kissing and touching and praying did little (if anything at all). The sensations, good or bad, were there to stay and Kiba cursed himself for his bitter luck. Of all the women in the world, his heart was set on the most unattainable, the red string so tight around her finger it was near impossible to break.

What pissed him off the most about the whole ordeal was Ino's continuing infatuation with the man clearly never meant for her. It broiled his blood every time the bastard's name was mentioned and she would look longingly at a nearby window, sighing and recalling lost times. Couldn't she get it through her thick skull that he wasn't coming back to the village? That he wasn't meant for her? The questions danced amongst his head and he would bite back a hiss, his dog whimpering at Kiba's perilous disposition.

Why couldn't she just get over him?

Why couldn't_ he_ just get over _her_?

Months passed and his feelings still couldn't be disposed of. He stopped tricking himself into fancying other women, stopped trying to reminisce on his past affections for Hinata or Tenten. This was it. His feelings for the blonde damsel of the Yamanaka clan continued to stew, unrelenting to his pleas to let them wither away. He didn't know how long he would have to wait or just when (_if_) his infatuation would die down. All Kiba could do was continue to grind his teeth and dig his feet into his boots whenever she sauntered by, oblivious to the misery she bestowed.

And then.

_She was crying._

Ino Yamanaka was crying, a weeping mess surrounded by their friends, because they were potentially considering offing the (_raving mad_) bastard she still pined for.

The fucking idiot.

Didn't she understand how easy she had it? Just around the corner was her chosen, his eyes fixated on her face buried in trembling hands. All she had to do was look up and seek his comfort and there he would be, telling her it would be alright, they would get past it, so on and so forth. Hell, maybe this could even be the moment they figured it out. Just the thought riled him up, his arms crossed tightly against his chest, body rigged in contempt.

There was no point to her crying. There was no point to his yearning.

_There was no point._

Another sniffle and he's done in. Months of bottled frustration unleashed in three words:

"Quit crying, Ino!"

It felt good to say them. To yell at her. To finally do something about the deep, foreboding whim stretched across his skin by just the sight of her.

But the sense of release doesn't last long.

"Kiba, don't talk to her like that!" Of course. Of course it had to be Tenten who threw his words back at his face. It made sense since she was always so protective of kunoichi. Maybe she recognized the situation, maybe she didn't.

Fate just felt like biting him in the ass that day. "Ino is - "

Ino was what? Ino was in love with the wrong fool? Ino was cursing her own stupid fate? Ino didn't want to get her hands dirty?

Ino could do whatever the hell she wanted to, but Kiba had had enough.

"What else can we do?" he shot back to the one blinded by green, "It's not like it was before!"

Tenten was silenced, but Ino's hands still shook and her tears still slid down her cheeks. Nothing was like before. That meant it was high time Ino moved on and accepted her fate.

If only Kiba had the will to do the same.

Because months passed and the war continued on. And she would still look out the windows and his fingers would still ache and neither she nor her chosen had discovered the other.

Nothing and everything changed all at once.

It was only minutes after her father had died when she still recalled the unyielding love for a broken boy. When she and her chosen fought on. When she ruthlessly plunged into the mind of a lunatic and honored the last remnants of her father's memory. When she slipped back into consciousness and her chosen was a bit too far to catch her.

Kiba slid against the dirt and caught her and his fingers ached no more.

"You all right?" he managed to growl out, combination of adrenaline and closeness almost too much to bear.

Her eyes opened, pools reminiscent of the sky surprised at his voice, "Uh…yeah."

Kiba could have laughed. He could have cried. The way she looked at him, her breath hitched and arms tense…had it not been for the chaos unfolding before them, he might have known.

Fate never intended it.

Kiba Inuzuka and Ino Yamanaka just became necessary.

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I really had no idea where I was going with this, but I like it just the same. The ending is meh, but I really don't know what else to do with it.

So..hope you enjoyed!


	2. Binding

It really doesn't have too much Kiba in it until the end (and unless I had stated otherwise you'd probably think it was ShikaIno BUT IT'S NOT okay and it's also really angsty and I'm sorry but ShikaIno is one of my original OTPs for Naruto and I'm a terrible multi-shipper so excuse me), but I hope that suffices. My future fics will definitely have the two interacting more! Also, I'm not satisfied with the ending but this was already way too much than I already intended it to be so I don't feel like fixing it.

Oh and it's long (like oh wow is it long).

Enjoy~

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He wasn't her first choice.

Or her second.

Or her third.

And she would be lying if she believed him to be the fourth.

Never on her radar, never acutely aware of his brash charm or fierce loyalty, she would wave at him in routine at social gatherings and mission briefings, shrugging off his sometimes rigid posture as a typical bad day. She'd been there, done that. Everyone could have them once in a blue moon (even if his seemed to more than every so often). Chouji suggested he might not be too fond of her and Ino could only laugh and brush off the sentiment. Why would Kiba Inuzuka ever take a shot at her? She'd only ever been cordial (occasionally teasing) in his presence and anything she had done before could be justified by childhood mentality. She posed no threat to him.

It came as a shock when Shikamaru said the same.

"I don't know what you did," he would start, his eyes fixated on the windowsill above his lounging head, "But you should stay away from him."

"I don't see why I should!" Ino would counter, her voice a touch too venomous for her liking. This was Shikamaru she was talking to, one of her best friends (if not _the_ best). He only had her best interests at heart. But getting worked up about some boy from their class she rarely talked to was pushing it just a little. "If he has a problem, he should just talk to me about it. I thought he was the type to be bullheaded like that."

"Yeah, but you're Hinata's friend and he's pretty sweet on her," his back slid down the wall, toes grazing her exposed thighs as they were pushed forward, "And he's not about to voice his dislike of you if it makes him fall from her good graces. Besides, he's a friend of mine as well and he knows how close we are."

"Then why doesn't he just confide in you?" she pouted, tracing circles around his bare ankles, "Wouldn't he try to amend the problem through you?"

Shikamaru sighed, "You would think."

That particular conversation would dwindle soon after and the two would continue on with other topics such as past missions or Kurenai's pregnancy or Shikamaru's growing closeness to the bookworm in the library (or even Ino's attempts to get Sai's attention, although those discussions often ended in shouts and unmotivated apologies). They were comfortable wherever they were, be it in Shikamaru's study or Ino's patio. Still as close as the moment Ino toddled into the world, sharing a crib with the babe just one day older.

No one ever seemed to question it. And no one really seemed to care. It was all set out for them anyway. As normal as the sunrise. As plain as the sunset.

Shikamaru Nara and Ino Yamanaka were destined to be together.

Of course, they rebelled against such fated notions, Ino especially. When she was young, her mother would prattle on about how Shikamaru would make such a fine suitor, hair slicked back and dolled up in a suit. Ino would stick out her tongue and wave frantic arms up and down, insisting he would be no such a thing. Like Shikamaru? Love Shikamaru?_ Marry_ Shikamaru? Ridiculous. There were much more eligible bachelors.

Even at the tender age of four, Ino knew for a fact that her heart belonged to Sasuke Uchiha. He was everything Shikamaru wasn't - a prince to her princess, a moon to her sun. What more could she possibly want?

Maybe someone who gave a damn.

Years of admiration and infatuation amounted to a turbulent heartbreak Ino struggled to control. He was a traitor, a liar, and worst of all, he ruined the lives of her childhood playmate and her brazen teammate. Unlike Ino, who ached for the love she wove from fairytales and fantasies, their companionship and trust of Sasuke was very much a reality, broken and lost all in a few days' time. Ino knew she had it easy compared to their plight.

But it didn't make it any less difficult to let go.

Ino tried. Good lord, she _tried._ She swept herself up in any eligible boy her age with a daring smile and a pair of strong arms. Anything to get the vile taste of shattered regrets and loss out of her mouth. Even attempted to seduce Team Seven's new teammate, a cheap imitation compared to the traitor. He seemed to respond to her advances for a time and she reveled in his compliments. Sweet nothings like "Miss Pretty" floated off his tongue and into her ears, trying her best not to imagine how_ he_ would have said them.

All in vain it was.

Ino was still in love with Sasuke and she could only count the days until the rushing sting at the mere mention of his name dissipated. Prayed that when love found her again, it would be softer, grounded, _requited. _

It was expected to be Shikamaru, of course. And she really didn't have it in her to rebel against fate this time around.

Still, her lungs gave out out the day her friends decided what must be done of Sasuke Uchiha. Never before her had she felt so small as her breathless form broke down in a sudden onslaught of sobs. How worthless could she be, crying over a fool, a monster who had used them (_all of them_) to wreck more havoc across their lives? How sickening, how pathetic...

Drowned in her self-pity and hardly reassured by Chouji's pudgy hands, Ino only registered Kiba's cold shout hours later when Tenten scoffed at his insincerity over dinner.

"The nerve of him, telling you not to cry," Tenten mumbled, motioning for Lee to join in on the conversation, "If things hadn't been so tense, I would've ran over and smacked him straight on the cheek, besides all the times we talked a few months back."

"Yeah, it was pretty uncool," Shikamaru agreed, nibbling at his rice while taking another cautious glance at Ino, "How'd you feel about it? Haven't really said anything."

Ino kept her gaze fixed on the slabs of meat in front of her, doing her best to suppress another sigh, "It doesn't really matter now. He's made it no secret that he doesn't like me."

"What?!" Tenten growled out, "Kiba doesn't like you? Why, the nerve of that guy! Don't worry Ino, I'll talk some sense into him -"

"As will I, fair Miss Yamanaka!" Lee exclaimed, causing the rest of the table to jump at his excitement. "In fact, I'll seek him out right now and insist on him giving you a proper apology!"

Before Tenten could hold him down, Lee jumped out of their booth and rushed off into the street, feverishly asking anyone in his general vicinity if they knew of Kiba's location. Ino noticed Tenten let out a weary sigh, but was surprised to see a playful smile tug at the corner of her lips.

"Tenten," Ino said, her voice carrying more weight than it had before, "Why do you like Lee?"

Both Shikamaru and Tenten were caught off guard at the question, her female companion's cheeks blossoming into shades of pink.

"Ino, you don't just ask someone that," Shikamaru scolded, "How do you even know she likes - "

"No, Shikamaru, it's quite okay," Tenten said, her hands clinging to an empty soup bowl, "I...I do like Lee. Very much."

"But doesn't Neji make more sense?" Ino asked, "Why not him?"

Tenten giggled at her question and Ino might have snapped at her had she not responded so quickly.

"Why would I like Neji?" light laughter remained in her tone and she didn't seem aggravated in the slightest, "Sure, he's attractive and talented and can be quite the gentleman when called upon to do so...there's nothing wrong with him."

Ino's brows furrowed but Shikamaru held out his hand to stop her from talking. The silence loomed over them for a few more moments before Tenten continued talking.

"But, Lee..." Tenten trailed, a dreamy look casting over her eyes, "Lee is special. Different. Wonderful. He is so determined to surpass everyone and be the best and it's something that I've always admired. But, I never really thought of fancying him until...well, I was just sitting down and watching him train. He was so in the moment, so passionate and precise and I kind of just..."

She trailed off again and this time Ino ignored Shikamaru's raised hand, "Just what?"

Tenten looked up from the table, eyes shining bright, "Fell in love."

Shikamaru shifted away from Ino but she stood still, eyes wide and staring into the happiness that was Tenten.

It only took a moment. One passing glance at Lee for Tenten to realize who she was meant to be with.

Or who was meant to break her heart.

"Does Lee know?" Ino asked, her voice quieter than it was before, "Doesn't he still like Sakura?"

The brightness in Tenten's eyes didn't falter, nor did her voice quiver, "To be honest, I'm not sure if he still likes her in the same way he did before. But I don't mind waiting. And for better or worse, I'll always be his friend. Even if he never feels the same way, if he rejects me...I'll move on. That's what kunoichi do. Rock Lee may be my number one pick, but I definitely know there are other men worth my time."

The dinner ended shortly after and Tenten ran off to find Lee before he found himself into too much trouble. Shikamaru walked Ino home, neither really saying much of anything. Ino could only imagine her friend's mind wandering to places far away from Tenten's words. When it came to love, Shikamaru was always touchy regarding the subject. It made sense, having experienced her heartbreak first hand.

As Ino was about to jump up to her room on the second floor just above her family's flower shop, Shikamaru stopped her, taking a hold of her arm. His grip was a bit too tight, laced with an urgency Ino was unaccustomed to.

"If that moment comes for you," Shikamaru whispered, "If you fall in love with anyone else other than me, you tell me. I don't care who it is or why or what happened, you come straight to me and tell me. Because I'll say right then and there if he's worth your time. I'll be damned if I see you go through heartbreak a second time."

Her breath caught as he let go and stalked off, his hands dug deep into his pockets. Ino figured had that been the moment, she would run up to him, yell and sob inches away from his face that it had always been him, _of course_ she loved him, there was no other and Sasuke had been just a hopeless, careless dream.

Instead, she pulled her hands close to her chest and said, "You love me."

He stopped only for a second, not bothering to turn his head, "You know, I always thought that was obvious."

There was no yearning, no abrupt realization as he turned the corner towards his home. She bit her lip, afraid she would call out to him and say something stupid. More than anything she wanted to tell him she was sorry. _So very sorry_ that she might never feel the same way. That there was a distance between them and Sasuke Uchiha was the cause. But she knew that was something he didn't want to hear. That _her pity_ (and his voice rang out and it left her numb) was unwanted.

So she stepped into her room, curled herself up onto the corner of her bed (hugging tightly the plush deer he bought for her thirteenth birthday) and mourned loves that would never be.

Months passed and she waited tirelessly for their moment to come. When Ino Yamanaka would finally returned the affection of Shikamaru Nara. The war waged on; they drifted a part and clashed back together again as teammates always would. Secrets and revelations tore away at their home and friends. And it cost them the lives of their most precious fathers.

She did all she could not to crash out onto the dirt and cry. It wasn't fair that she and Shikamaru were so vital to the victory of their village, of the ninja world as they knew it that they had to forget their fathers had died only minutes ago. She had to be everything and more, knowing their would be a time (or no time at all) to cry later.

Her father's last words helped her recall Sasuke one last time, his marble beauty vivid for a fleeting moment and vanishing as her father recollected the love she had for Sakura, Chouji, and Shikamaru. Her best friends. Her true friends.

She performed flawlessly after that, giving her friends and allies the much needed edge on Madara and Obito that would ultimately help them win the war. Exhausted and drained of her energy, Ino's body collapsed, knowing full well she would be eating dirt. She just didn't care, welcoming the fall with eyes closed.

It was unexpected when strong arms caught her, fingers tightening around her shoulder protectively. How had he...wasn't he...?

_This is it_, Ino thought to herself as she groggily opened her eyes, _This is the moment. Come on, Ino. Meet your fate. _

"Are you alright?" the growl was a surprise. It wasn't Shikamaru's in the slightest. In fact, it sounded a lot like -

Ino's eyes snapped open and she was met with a face covered in smudges, his red markings almost unnoticed in the swarm of dirt.

_Kiba._

Amongst the chaos, in her growing terror of things to come, he found her. He held her up when no one else could. Calling out to her in ways Shikamaru never had and never would.

Dazed, tired, and a little confused, Ino wasn't able to register it as the moment she was looking for until days later, when he casually asked about her shoulder, apologizing if he had bruised it. His body no longer rigid, his tone relaxed.

"Uh...yeah," was all she could say as he lifted her onto her feet and they joined the battle once more.

...

They won; buried her father along with Shikaku and Neji. War heroes, highest honors, the works...Ino stood by Shikamaru's side on that day and she noticed from the corner of her eyes, Tenten and Lee holding each other close, quietly allowing the tears to slip down their cheeks.

Love found them after all.

When the ceremony was over, Ino turned her head, hoping to catch Kiba before he departed with his mother and sister. She caught sight of him near Neji's grave, his arm around Hinata's shoulder. Her heart pounced briefly, but she shook her head at the reaction, a small laugh escaping her. Kiba didn't like Hinata, at least not anymore. She was sure of it.

"What's so funny?" Shikamaru asked, brows perplexed. His eyes were bright with tears, mirroring her own. Ino choked back another sob.

This was going to be difficult.

"Nothing is funny..." Ino trailed, fixing her stare on Team 8, "I just...Shikamaru, I found him."

A beat passed between them before he slowly nodded his head, his mouth taking eons to open, "...I see. Who is he?"

"Kiba," Ino replied, "He came out of nowhere, really. It was during the battle...he just found me. It was...binding."

Shikamaru chuckled darkly and Ino resisted the urge to scold him. Or hug him, "Not the best word to describe a potential relationship, but I see where you're going with it."

She swallowed thickly, "So...what do you think?"

As her words left her, Shikamaru leaned in and and took a hold of her hand, pressing his lips into her fingers. He breathed the words against her skin, "He won't hurt you, of that I'm sure. And I only wished this had happened a little ways down the road, though I guess prolonging heartbreak is never the best option."

He turned her hands and held it close to his cheek, kissing the inside of her palm as a fresh wave of tears fell, "Promise me you'll be happy with him and I'll try to do the same."

Ino nodded mutely, doing little as she followed suit, tears streaking down and clinging to her chin. She held back the apology he didn't want and bit back the words of companionship he already knew. Instead, she took back her hand and pressed her lips against his cheek, hoping it would suffice the fates.

"I'll meet you for lunch in a few days," she whispered as she ran back to the village, Team 8 already gone. She didn't turn back, afraid of what she might see.

Afraid she might just be the tiniest similar to the traitor she finally let go.

Scouring the streets, Team 8 came into her sights as they were stopped at their favorite ramen stand, having a lively conversation with the seated Naruto and Sakura. She didn't have time to think about what that meant for her friend: if she had moved on and wandered into Naruto's arms, if Naruto ever really acknowledged Hinata's feelings, if this meant she was feeling the same way she had left Shikamaru -

"Kiba!" Ino shouted, causing her friends to abruptly stop their chit-chat and turn in her direction. While Shino and Naruto's stares were pensive, Sakura and Hinata's were most curious, wondering what Ino's business with Kiba entailed.

He didn't even bother to look at her as he mumbled out a feeble, "Yeah?"

"I need to talk to you," she said, "Alone. _Now_."

Hinata looked worriedly to her friend, "Kiba, you didn't do anything to upset her, did you?"

"Yeah you idiot, you better not have," Sakura joined in, though it seemed her abrasive tone was half-hearted, throwing several mouthed '_are you okay_?'s in Ino's direction.

Kiba ignored his teammate and Sakura, turning to his dog instead, "Stay here with them, Akamaru. I'll be back."

Ino waved farewell to the group as Kiba approached her and soon, they were walking together, past the celebrations and towards the flower shop that in every way was now Ino's own.

"Do you know what this is about?" Ino asked him about five minutes into their walk, doing her best at keeping her voice steady.

Kiba grunted, "Kind of. I mean...you felt it too, right?"

Deciding it best not to answer until they stopped, she put one foot in front of the other and ignored any scowls or snarls that escaped her companion. If she was being honest with herself, she really didn't know how to address the situation. Especially since she'd decided some time ago that the likes of true love (not fated; there _was_ a difference) did not exist and could not exist. At least for someone like her.

But it had hit her as it had hit him and it had conquered them both. Neither just didn't know what to do with it.

As they reached the flower shop, Ino paused at the door and looked to Kiba. His face carried an apathy she was unused to. For the past several months, his expressions were always hardened in her presence, resembling spite.

It sent her a bit on edge.

"When did you start to like me?" Ino asked.

Kiba scoffed and crossed his arms, shooting her a foul look, "Oh, as if it wasn't obvious enough? C'mon, Ino, you're not that dull. Or do you need another dose of a man groveling at your feet?"

Ino narrowed her eyes and resisted the urge to slap him, "How dare you! You're one to talk. I've heard the stories from Tenten and Sakura. Always chatting up the local village girls on missions, looking up a skirt whenever you could. And how could you say I'm dull? All you've done for the last half a year is look at me like I'm a piece of trash. Chouji and Shikamaru were convinced you hated me! I honestly just want to know what changed your mind?"

"Hated you?" Kiba seemed to bite back a growl, eyes twitching at her accusations, "Why in the world would I hate you? You've never done anything to me!"

"Well, it sure seemed like it," Ino replied, "You never talked to me. You kept your distance. And the last time you even acknowledged my existence before the war? You yelled at me and told me to stop crying. How was I supposed to take that?"

Kiba stiffened and turned away, his nails clawing into his leather jacket, "Look, I'm...I'm sorry if that's how it looked to you. But, truth is...dammit, Ino! I've liked you for awhile now! Almost since last year!"

Her eyes widened and she took a step back, "What? A year? A whole year?"

"Yeah," Kiba shrugged, "What of it?"

"So...you..." Ino trailed as she connected the dots, "You liked me, but acted like you didn't like me when I was around? How does that make sense?"

"It doesn't! I know it doesn't!" Kiba exclaimed, followed by a long sigh, "That's just how my body reacted when it came to you. I was never like that when it came to Hinata or Tenten but with you - it was like I was trying to warn myself that liking you was a bad idea."

Ignoring the fact that Kiba had once fancied Tenten, Ino's interest piqued at his last words, "Warning you? Why would it warn you?"

Kiba didn't respond immediately, his eyes fixated on the rose bush outside her shop. Another sigh escaped him, "Because you were already taken."

"What?" Ino's eyebrows rose, "I don't follow. I mean, everyone knew I liked Sasuke, but that didn't mean - "

"God, Ino, please don't make me spell it out for you," Kiba's arms shook against his chest, "You know who I'm talking about."

A few seconds more and Ino realized.

_Oh._

"Shikamaru," she said, "You thought I belonged to Shikamaru."

"Not just me," Kiba continued, his back turned to her as he dug his hands into his back pockets, "_Everyone._ Everyone knew you and him belonged together. I mean, you still hadn't gotten over that bastard and I'm not sure if Shikamaru was interested in that Suna chick, but you two are - were - just..."

"Meant to be," Ino whispered, her smile weak, "Yeah...it was something our parents and relatives have been telling us since we were born. We've accepted it for awhile now."

"See?" Kiba turned back at her, his face tense with anxiety, "You guys were just it. There was no way I could get in-between that type of thing. So I tried and tried to let you go and I just couldn't and I didn't know why and now you're probably here to tell me that what we felt on the battlefield that day wasn't real. I mean, why would it be? It only lasted for a few seconds and it was - "

"Kiba," Ino interrupted him, a steady resolve building within her, "Shikamaru is very special to me. Just like Sakura and Chouji are. But, I know and he knows now that we were always just supposed to be friends. The very best of friends, of course. But nothing else."

His gaze softened at the steadiness of her words, his body slacking, "So...you mean...what I felt..."

"What _we_ felt," Ino corrected, the smile on her face growing stronger, "was true. It's really unexpected and I don't want to throw you into anything you don't want. I would just like to...try."

"Try, huh?" Kiba returned her smile and he leaned in just a bit more, "I like the sound of that."

Ino nodded, her heart fluttering like a hummingbird, "So, would you like to take a walk tomorrow? I know this great little stand that makes the best dango."

"I'd love to," Kiba replied and before Ino knew what he was doing, his arm was stretched out, his fingers grazing her cheek with tender earnest. A gesture she had envisioned with many a men but the one before her.

Never before had it felt so right.

"See you tomorrow, Ino," he said, taking back his hand and stepping away from her, "Sleep well."

"You too," she replied as she watched him go back the way they came, no doubt to retrieve his pet. A flurry of questions would probably be asked, but Ino was confident Kiba would keep most of their conversation confidential.

While neither had really discussed what occurred on that field days before, Ino figured they had plenty of time to unravel its true implications. Besides, Ino had chosen and so had Kiba.

Their love was binding and it freed them both.

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I'm thinking of continuing this, but it would probably be set from multiple points of view. Shikamaru would no doubt be an important figure and I intend to ship him with Shiho (personally think that canonically, it makes more sense than ShikaTema given Shikamaru's development), but that would be a slow and steady process because like Ino, it'll take awhile for him to get over such heartbreak. Other ships would be NaruSaku, LeeTen and maayyyybbeee ShinoHina so that's that.

Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it enough. I got stuck with the ending but hopefully this can be a good place to start. Thanks for reading!


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